Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena — Oklahoma City, OK
When: Friday, December 9, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Rockets (-1) at Oklahoma City Thunder (+1); total: 224.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Houston Rockets (-1)
The Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to four games with an emphatic 134-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Seven players scored in double-figures for the Rockets who improved their record to 15-7. It was a dominant performance by Mike D’Antoni’s men who led by as much as 42 points in this ballgame.
Starring for the Rockets in this rout were Eric Gordon and James Harden. Gordon made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points while Harden chipped in 25 markers of his own. Harden has been incredible for the Rockets this campaign, averaging 28.5 points, 11.4 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game this season. The Rockets will need more of the same from Harden if they are to beat the Thunder tonight. He shot just 4-of-16 from the field in Houston’s two-point loss to Oklahoma City last month.
It’s also paramount for the Rockets that they continue their excellent play on the defensive end. They held the Lakers to just 39.1 percent shooting from the field on Wednesday night. The Rockets will have their work cut out for them, however, against an OKC side that’s averaging 107.4 points per game this season, seventh-highest in the NBA.
The Rockets are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (+1)
The Oklahoma City Thunder stretched their unbeaten run to six games with a thrilling 102-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Leading the way for the Thunder in this narrow win was Russell Westbrook. He scored 32 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 12 assists to extend his triple-double streak to six games. He is the first player to achieve that feat since Michael Jordan in 1989.
Key to the Thunder’s resurgence has been their phenomenal offense. They’re averaging a whopping 113.2 points over their last six games. Providing the impetus for this offensive explosion is the unstoppable Westbrook. He’s averaging 31.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 11.3 assists through his first 22 games. Westbrook’s offensive brilliance was in full display Monday against Atlanta wherein he scored 27 of his 32 points in the second half.
Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder will look to replicate that performance when they take on the Rockets later tonight. Oklahoma City will fancy its chances of doing just that as it has fared extremely well against Houston of late. The Thunder have won three of their last four games against the Rockets. For the Thunder to extend that dominance tonight, they will need to control the rebounding battle. They are third in the NBA in rebounding at 46.1 boards a game. The Thunder grabbed 44 rebounds in their 105-103 win over the Rockets last month.
The Thunder are 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston (-1) beats Oklahoma City on the road, 115-108.
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